I enjoyed The Girlfriend. It was a fast read for me. Although it kept me engaged through to the end, I wasn't wowed by anything in particular.

oooh- this is a good one. The creepiness builds slowly in this tale of Cherry, who wants it all, and Laura who doesn't want Cherry to have her son. You know from the outset that this is a mismatch but the depths to which Cherry goes are beyond what I expected (animal lovers beware!). Poor Daniel, the much loved son and boyfriend, is badly injured in a rafting accident and Laura, in an attempt to be rid of Cherry, tells her he's dead. Big mistake. There are times when you'll be (somewhat) sympathetic of Cherry and more when you'll side with Laura but on balance, this is a war with really no winners- especially not Daniel. It's well written and suspenseful. Thanks to the publisher for the ARC. This is a page turner.

I enjoyed reading this book,however it didn't move forward very quickly. The two main characters were at odds with each other from the first time they met. The mother,who has a loveless marriage to a man who has cheated on her for years, dotes on her son. When he meets someone that is really interested in his mother believes she is only interested in his wealth. So a horrible lie gets told and thinks really become twisted. All in all I feel it is definitely worth reading.

4.5 stars
Wow. I did not expect this book to blow me away like it did. My heart is still racing a bit from the ending. I spent the last 100 pages totally engrossing and tuned out of the world around me.

This may seem like the typical story of a girlfriend and mother not getting along and fighting for a man's attention. Daniel was the most unsuspecting party in this triangle and for the most part, had no idea what was going through Cherry and Laura's heads. This book took twists and turns that I just did not expect. And that compelled me to keep reading the first half. By the second half I was hooked and could not put it down.

What really was amazing about this book, was the description of emotions. I could feel every emotion from each character, from rage to fear to cold calculation. It got to the point where I was feeling each emotion so strongly that I had to put the book down a couple times just to tune back into reality and make my body realize that I did not need a pounding heart....a frustrated frown. Though it felt real...these things were not happening to me. Laura's emotions and thoughts were the most visceral and had me almost afraid to be in my house at dark.

The characters were absolutely frustrating, which I think was the author's intent. How could Cherry be so truly evil, but think herself the victim. (She honestly had so many thoughts about how life was unfair for HER and how SHE deserved more). How could Laura be so dramatic and desperate, instead of maybe looking for a truce (before everything went past that point). How could Daniel be so darn oblivious?! And Wendy truly broke my heart. Cherry's treatment and thoughts about her own mother made me want to slap her and adopt Wendy as my own.

This book was great because it was believable. It wasn't a crazy situation that maybe would happen one in a blue moon. It made me feel like this could easily happen to anyone who was as motivated and sociopathic as Cherry. She didn't go over the top with any of the situations, which made it more eerie.

I absolutely recommend this book!

I received this as a review copy from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

This book was perfectly enjoyable, but the plot was not original and the characters are stock and not well developed. If you only this kind of thing, it’s passable for an afternoon that needs to passed (I banged it out in a few hours waiting with my son at CityMed), but if you don’t love female-led psychological thrillers, it may not be a must-read

I had problems with the beginning (too slow) and the end (rushed)., but the middle was very entertaining. Two hard scrabble, willing to do anything women, and the man caught in the middle. The women were treacherous. I felt so sorry for Daniel. This was a unique clash of forces. Could have been a five star with a better end and beginning.

This story drew me in from page one and never let go. Even when I had to stop reading to deal with real life stuff, I could not stop thinking about it and could not wait to see where the story was going. Very fun, addictive read! Thank you publisher and netgalley for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

A definite page turner. The writing was very good and I liked the changing points of view. There were twists and turns that I didn't expect and I found it hard to put the book down toward the end.

This book is marketed as a 'chilling psychological thriller' but it is a domestic drama at best. It lacks tension and depth to the story and instead gives readers a long-winded, slowly paced story with lukewarm characters who behave exactly how you'd expect, making this debut 'just okay' at best.

The premise had heaps of potential, but the author couldn’t pull off a 'thriller'. It just wasn't clever enough. It felt like the author had to lay out every character's thoughts and didn't trust her readers to be able to piece together a more intricate plot. This may appeal to people who want a mild, family drama read but for avid readers of the psychological suspense genre, like myself, this doesn't add anything new to the genre (either domestic drama or psychological thriller).

With thinly constructed characters, a weakly executed premise and a lack of suspense, this quickly became one of those books that I wasn't eager to get back into.

Disclaimer: This ARC was generously provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

This book is so good! It was really hard to put down when pesky things like work got in the way, because I needed to know what was going to happen next. The characters were great, the villain was so creepy and disturbing but put on such a victim facade. I definitely recommend this book!

4* Jealous Stars

Don’t come between a mother and her son!

This domestic thriller is told from multiple points of view, Laura the mother, Daniel the son and Cherry the girlfriend. The characters were realistic as were their situations, however I struggled to like and find anything good in Cherry.

This story revolves around and very protective mother and a money hungry girlfriend from the wrong side of the tracks who are in constant competition for Daniel’s attention and love. They will both go to extreme lengths to protect and hang onto what is theirs. This story is filled with lies and deceit and is chilling in parts.

Despite it being a long read it was fast paced and quite addictive and disturbing.

Thanks to Kensington Books and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

This book was a decent book but personally, it just didn't keep my attention. Maybe it is because I just wasn't in the mood for a Mystery/Thriller when I was reading it or maybe i am just in the beginning of a reading slump and just couldn't enjoy this story as much as I should.

See link for goodreads review

Wow ! That was creepy and nail-biting AF!

The story revolves around two most important women in Daniel's life. Daniel Cavendish has always led a privileged life, he's smart, he's sweet, he's rich and he's very close to his mom, Laura. Laura Cavendish is living in a facade of a marriage, her husband in love with someone else, but she sticks to the marriage because of social pressure. Her son is the apple of her eye, and is happy that he's found someone !

Enter, Cherry with exotic looks, a real estate agent who helps Daniel buy a house. Although it's Daniel who makes the first move, it's Cherry who sinks her hooks in deeper. Cherry despises her poor background, is very manipulating and conniving. She can't wait to enjoy the perks of being with Daniel, mainly his money.

When Laura invites Daniel-Cherry for a vacation in France, she is looking forward to getting to know the woman who has her son's attention. But things get awkward and uncomfortable in France as Laura uncovers some lies about Cherry. Cherry on the other hand, is ridiculously shallow with Daniel's friends and family, and is irritated with his Mother's interference. She subtly but surely sidelines Laura, creating rift between mother and son. What was creepy was, she enjoys this !

And from here begins the tug of war between the two women, trying to prove their mettle. Cherry is thoroughly conniving and always puts Laura in a spot with her son. Laura is almost losing the battle and is very worried about her son's future. Laura tries to remove Cherry out of her son's life with more lies. Will her son ever see Cherry's true form ? Can she ever overcome the guilt she feels for lying ? Will Cherry successfully isolate Laura from her son ? So many possibilities..

Many scenes were very creepy. There's a reason why "meeting-the-boy's-mom" is considered so scary in most relationships, because this bond is tricky yet important. This story depicts all that and more. Cherry was scary AF! The extent to which she could stoop was shocking ! Her calmness was unnerving. I will go as far to say that she is definitely insane. Her actions in retaliation to Laura were beyond inhuman and so conniving. Borderline psychopath !



Laura's lie in the middle was so unexpected ! She should have known that such a big lie would definitely backfire. She could have handled it better. Howard, Laura's husband, was irritating. I didn't like him taking Laura for granted. Daniel was okay, I guess. Cherry was really good in reading him and manipulating him. So, he was a dummy most times.

I couldn't wait to know what would happen in the end. There's quite a lot of drama as well. It got a little stretchy in the middle, but all that plays a part in this story. I felt left hanging in the end, because the end seemed so abrupt. It was like, the entire plot is building up to a crescendo and then a sudden bang ! And then's it's over. I wish I could have been let down slowly after that end, it would have calmed my nerves a little. But this plot had me riveted, I'll give it that !

Thank you NetGalley and Kensington Books for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thanks to Net Galley and Kensington Books for an ARC of this book in exchange for a review.
Laura is a typical mother, she loves her only son Daniel and will do anything to protect him, she is a little jealous of his new girlfriend Cherry and she has a suspicion that Cherry is more interested in Daniel’s money than Daniel himself.
There is an accident and Daniel is seriously hurt, he is in a coma, Laura is under a lot of stress and finds herself telling Cherry a huge lie, she regrets it almost immediately but can’t seem to find the appropriate moment to tell the truth and one lie leads to quite few more.
It is some months before Cherry learns the truth, she is a woman who wants revenge and enjoys making Laura’s world a living nightmare, laura’s son has stopped speaking to her, her husband wants a divorce, her business is suffering and she is frightened in her own home. Laura knows who is behind it all but can’t get anyone to believe her. Both woman are vindictive and manipulative and Daniel is caught in the middle
This is a chilling psychological thriller, fast paced and very enjoyable read, the ending for me was a little disappointing.

Laura is a controlling, over-protective, possessive mother. It surprises me Daniel turned out so well. When Daniel meets Cherry - the gold-digger Laura can't accept her as worthy of her son. Cherry of course has her own devious agenda. These are the two love-to-hate characters in this book. The format was a little tricky to read but I enjoyed the book nevertheless. Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books for letting me read it.

4.5 freakishly scary stars

Can money buy happiness?
Laura has what seems to be everything, money, a gorgeous home, a wealthy husband, and a wonderfully loving and handsome son, Daniel They live in a gorgeous home and even have a villa in the south of France. Life, it seems, is wonderful.

Then Daniel meets Cherry, a young real estate agent, and things start to click between them. Cherry has never had much. She grew up poor and is ever so embarrassed by her roots. She wants more, a lot more, and sees Daniel as a possible a way into the lifestyle she feels she so deserves. She feels herself falling for him and the fact that he is rich only adds to his allure.

However, tragedy strikes and a lie is told. As the repercussions of that lie happen, we see the ways in which the characters react and how it changes the direction of their lives.

Ms Frances has written a wonderfully engrossing psychological thriller which propels the reader into the minds and hearts of her characters. This was one of those hard to put down stories that often keep one up burning the midnight oil. However, the ending did seem slightly rushed but overall this was quite the exciting read.

Many thanks to Michelle Frances, Kensington Books, and NetGalley for providing an ARC of this novel.

This debut novel was absolutely fantastic! Thank you to the publishers for the advance reading copy. I will certainly be recommending this new novel to both libraries I am associated with. It was a fast paced read...in fact, I finished it in less than two days. The novel was so new, so clever, I was kept in suspense most of the book. I think this will be turned into a movie....it was would great.

Three stars about right for this. Not bad but not great.

It’s the story of a mother, a son and a new girlfriend and the battle between the two women for the sons affections. The problem is one of them is a little unhinged.

Laura is a successful tv producer, has a long standing marriage to a very rich husband and is mother to her only child and the centre of her world, 23 year old Daniel.
When Daniel announces he has a new girlfriend Cherry, a girl from a working class background, Laura is a little wary but wants to meet her and become friends with her. When they meet and Cherry is less than open and friendly with Laura she becomes a little suspicious of her, especially when she seems to become more possessive of Daniel which sees Laura spend less and less time with him.
As the situation developes Laura notices little things about Cherry that make her convinced that she is trying to separate her from her son and may be a bit of a gold digger. Fearing she may lose her son to a woman who is being less than honest with him, she tries to convince Daniel that Cherry is not what she seems. Little does she know thought that Cherry will do anything to keep Daniel for herself and she won’t let anyone get in her way.

So this one is the proverbial three star rating. It’s not a bad book per say but it’s not great either. The story is straight forward and you know you are working your way through the book for the final inevitable showdown.

It’s a bit overlong for what it is. The characters are a little thinly written. Not badly written per say but instantly forgettable. The story is pretty much set up from the start and you just know it’s going to tick along for the entire book until the finale. It should ramp up in the intensity of the actions of our “unhinged” character and, although it does a bit it’s fairly pedestrian and not overly interesting.

It’s a fairly predictable tale and it didn’t really draw me in at any stage, feeling like I was reading from a distance rather than being in the thick of it. It’s not terrible by any means but it’s just not that good either. Not bad but instantly forgettable.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.